While most College of Charleston students were cramming for their fall final exams, senior Samantha Sammis (Columbia, MD) was doing some cramming of her own – to bake more than 7,000 cookies for prisoners at Lieber Correctional Institute. It started out as a simple challenge from the Baptist College Ministry to participate in a community service project.

Sammis thought it would be nice to bring cookies to inmates who are incarcerated for the holidays. Little did she realize that within just four days, dozens of people in the community would help her make bags of 3-5 cookies for each of the 1,450 inmates.

“It was actually unbelievable that this happened! I was close to tears I was so overwhelmed,” Sammis says. “I was getting text messages and phone calls from people I hardly knew or didn’t know at all telling me they had dropped off cookies for me. I did not bake a single cookie until about 3am on Wednesday. And I only baked about three dozen total. It was literally a miracle.”

The sociology major called on all her connections – a West Ashley church, downtown daycare, Facebook friends, a former workplace, and even Panera bread, who donated all their cookies at the end of the day. Sammis says she has a heart and passion for teaching and for helping others and hopes this experience will translate into future success.

“I would love to work with some sort of inner-city ministry or non-profit organization or anyone who needs assistance. I honestly just want to give and love and serve others as much as possible. I am so overwhelmed and happy and grateful that people were receptive to this idea and that there is a heart for giving and serving in Charleston like nowhere else I have been.”

Samantha Sammis can be reached at scsammis@edisto.cofc.edu.